At the session commenced on 5 April, members of the Justice and Administration Committee of the National Assembly of Serbia set the agenda for the session and decided to continue the session on the next day, 6 April, due to the volume of material under consideration.

The session’s agenda comprises discussion of proposals of Decisions on the Termination of Office of Judges and the Bill on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest.

The Committee’s chairman, Branislav Ristivojevic, acquainted the members with the contents of the materials to be discussed at the session.

When work resumed (on 5, 6 and 7 April), the Committee discussed the Proposal of the Decision on the Termination of Judicial Office Due to Retirement of on Personal Request, as well as the Proposal of the Decision on the Termination of Judicial Office on Grounds of Incompetent or Unconscientious Performance of Duties.

The Committee adopted the Proposal of its chairman, Branislav Ristivojevic, to the effect that judges due for retirement should be relieved of duty on the day that the Serbian Assembly adopts the Decision.

The Justice and Administration Committee adopted the Proposal of the Decision on the Termination of Judicial Office on Grounds of Incompetent or Unconscientious Performance of Duties of the following: Predrag Milanovic, judge of the Pristina Municipal Court, Dusan Marcicev, judge of the Belgrade Commercial Court, Milica Leskovac, judge of the Novi Knezevac Municipal Court, as well as Dragan Radosavljevic, judge of the Mionica Municipal Court.

The Committee will suggest to the Assembly that Dragana Petkovic, judge of the Nis Municipal Court, should not be relieved of duty.

Members of the Committee on Justice and Administration went on to adopt the Proposal of the Decision on the Termination of Office of Public Prosecutor Djordje Ostojic.

The session also discussed the Bill on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in Performing Public Office. Members of the Committee endorsed, by a majority of votes, eighteen amendments submitted to the Bill.

The session was also attended by the Minister of State Administration and Local Self-government in the Government of the Republic of Serbia, Zoran Loncar, who clarified certain provisions of the Bill on the Prevention of Conflicts of Interest in Performing Public Office.

The session of the Committee discussed the competencies of the Republic Committee, whose formation is foreseen by the Bill. The Republic Committee would issue guidelines and official interpretations and prescribe forms necessary for the implementation of the Act, keep a register of possessions of Republic of Serbia officials, decide whether actions of officials, or lack thereof, constitute infringements of the Act, and, if so, prescribe sanctions and perform other activities foreseen by the Act.

The Committee discussed the composition of the Republic Committee, which is intended to have nine members. Three members would be elected by justices of the Supreme Court of Serbia, one by the Serbian Bar Association, and the remaining five by the National Assembly, at the suggestion of the Serbian Academy of Sciences and Arts.

The session of the Committee on Justice and Administration is scheduled to continue at 9.30 a.m. on 14 April.